Typically, carpeted or uncarpeted stairs and furniture upholstery have been vacuumed and/or cleaned by a combination of vacuum and solution cleaning processes using a relatively small hand-held suction nozzle of approximately 6 inches in width. The nozzle is typically connected by a flexible hose to a vacuum source such as a vacuum cleaner or a steam/solution cleaner. However, when vacuum cleaning or utilizing the steam/solution cleaning process in combination with a vacuum it is typically difficult to adequately clean a specific or selected profile surface such as a sharply curved convex/concave surface, for example the toe or corner of a step or an upholstery arm due to the typically long straight suction inlet of the vacuum cleaner nozzle.
This problem has been recognized in the prior art, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,296 B1 to McKnight et al., disclosed is a removable suction nozzle to convert the suction inlet of a vacuum cleaner from a straight surface to either a concave or convex surface for vacuuming carpet with matching concave or convex surfaces, such as stair steps, reference FIG. 8. McKnight et al. also discloses the use of the nozzle to be used with a hand held hot water extractor having spray guide grooves and strakes to direct the spray toward the suction. However, McKnight et al. does not disclose a “U” shaped opening and primarily utilizes a single attachment head having a rotatable chamber or a double ended attachment head with both concave and convex surfaces. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,732 also to McKnight et al., comprises a divisional patent of the aforementioned McKnight et al. patent being U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,296 B1 and thus having the same disclosure, teaches the same suction nozzle configurations.
Another approach in the prior art that is somewhat more specialized is in U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,310 to Besel that discloses a wand for vacuuming stairs with a nozzle bar for applying a liquid cleaning material within a vacuum slot; the wand vacuum slots are length adjustable to conform to a stair step run length and terminate just around the corner of the run forming a half “U” section. An elongated vacuum tube is utilized to allow the operator to stand erect while using the wand and not having to kneel down, however, it appears that the wand misses the lower and middle portion of the stair rise for cleaning and cannot clean around a toe portion of the step. An alternative approach is in U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,070 to Ragner et al. that discloses a multiple function vacuum cleaner nozzle having two straight pivotal cleaning arms that are adjustable in relation to each other. Each cleaning arm has a hollow cleaning channel with a row of bristles on each channel edge; the arms are movable through a total range of 180 degrees from being a straight line and to being parallel to each other. Thus, Ragner et al. could be used on stairs, however, would not be able to accommodate the run toe overhang for cleaning. In addition, Ragner et al. does not disclose anything pertaining to solution cleaning in conjunction with vacuuming. Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,375 to Holman et al. disclosed is a stair cleaning device having three cleaning heads that can be operated either horizontally or vertically in order to clean the run or the rise of the step respectively. Again, Holman et al. does not have the capability or teaches a way to accommodate the toe portion overhang of the step run.
What is needed, is a simple and inexpensive surface cleaning device that can effectively accommodate the “toe” portion of the step being between the rise and the run of the step, even when the “toe” is overhung in relation to the adjacent step rise. In addition, the surface cleaning device would include the capability to accommodate different outside radii or convex/concave surface profile configurations of the “toe” portion of the step with easy interchangeability for different surface or “toe” profiles, that could also include, for example different furniture arm profiles or other similar surface or fabric/upholstery/carpet profiles that need cleaning. Also, the surface cleaning device should have the option of incorporating solution/steam cleaning in combination with vacuum cleaning if desired by the user. Scrubbing bristles could also be included along the concave/convex profile of the surface cleaning device that approximately match in surface profile the convex/concave profile of the surface to be cleaned for more effective cleaning by raising the fabric nap or scrubbing the surface prior to the vacuum and/or steam cleaning.